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Your Body Is Fine

As you know, I don't plaster my face all over this blog. I don't even put my image on my personal blog. But when Polyvore extended the invitation to be on Glamour's website in December, I took it. Mind you, I don't have a conventional sense of beauty (because that's not fun) so I received more than one harsh comment. My favorite was someone complaining that my oxford flats made my legs look short. "Isn't the point of shoes to elongate the leg?" she asked.

Um, no. The point of shoes is to protect your feet.

But here's the kicker, my legs look short because they are short. I'm 5'4" and I'm all torso. Unless I want to don some of Lady Gaga's hooves, I will always look short.

For kicks, I did a little snooping into clothing suggestions for a pear like me. The advice was to "draw attention away from your problem areas" and "hide your thighs." I was unaware that having heavy thighs was such a crippling disfigurement.

We like to express ourselves. We like to put a bit of care into our appearance, but, ladies, let's chill out a minute. If you won't wear turtlenecks because you think they make your neck look short or you won't wear ankle strap shoes lest your legs look stumpy, take a moment to evaluate. Is your neck short? Are your legs stumpy? It's okay to say yes, because there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Instead of feeling we need to conform to some Kim Kardashian ideal, shouldn't we be embracing the notion that there's nothing inherently wrong with cankles, pale eyelashes and thick fingers? Change what you like, but make sure you love who you are.

Well first let me just say that I love your blog, all of your tips. Finding you on Polyvore made me want to keep blogging. I look to you to set the standard.

As for the comments, I can totally relate. It's one of the reason's I am so apprehensive to post images of myself on my blog. Anonymity can make people evil. I have some of the same "issues" with my figure, but I have chosen to embrace it. I think it makes me a better stylist. I have learned to make my "problem areas" look great. I am really glad you posted this, it was very inspiring. It makes me want to keep bucking this idea that all women should look one way.

Wow, Jael, you are gorgeous!! Not that I didn't think you were, but, for whatever reason, I pictured you as a modern version of Unity Mitford. Instead, you are a Marion Cotillard / Audrey Hepburn crossbreed.

And I totally love your outfit, especially the shoes!

I'm kind of shocked by some of the comments on that post. Not because of the internet cruelty (yawn) -- just that I wouldn't have thought Glamour readers would be into fuckme shoes so heavily... somehow Drunken Stepfather readers got re-routed there, I think.

I firmly believe form follows function. Clothe should make you happy, comfortable and pretty. Trends comes and goes, even for ideal body type (curvey, twiggy, amazonian, petite). I'm a pear too, supposedly its the healthier body type (say yes to nice waist! and say...yes also! to skinny pants).

On a slightly side note, nothing is worse than a women wearing the perfect outfit but don't enjoy it. I saw more than a couple of wonderfully outfitted women on the street where my eyes were first draw to them due to their tentative, tired my-heels-hurt-like-no-others walk, and then her shoes and outfit.

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